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Butön Rinchen Drub

admin — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:45:18 +0000

Great Collector of the Kangyur and Tangyur

Next in the line of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations is the prolific scholar Butön Rinchen Drub from Zhalu Monastery. He was born in western Tibet in the same area where Tashi Lhunpo Monastery would later be built.

As a child, Butön Rinchen Drub displayed all the extraordinary behavior of a high incarnated Lama. He was particularly noted for being able to perceive the holy face of Manjushri directly and to engage in conversation with him.

As a young man, Butön Rinchen Drub learned the ancient Sanskrit language with relative ease. From the time he began his education as a very young boy, he had a string of great masters as his tutors.

At the age of 18, he took ordination from the Abbot Rinchen Senge Pel, Sri Singharatna and Master Tseme Kyebu. He had numerous other teachers who were the greatest masters and Abbots of his time, and under their tutelage, he studied and mastered the breadth and width of Sutra and Tantra, thereby establishing himself as a learned scholar.

After completing his studies, Butön Rinchen Drub began to translate sacred Sanskrit texts and correct many existing translations. Slowly, he also became well known as a Lama.

Butön Rinchen Drub embarked on the ambitious project of compiling 500 years’ worth of translated teachings into the encyclopaedic Kangyur and Tangyur collections. These comprise the spoken teachings of Lord Buddha and the written commentaries by Buddha’s spiritual heirs. He did this because many of the great Buddhist centers of learning in India were destroyed during the onslaught of the Muslim invasion.

The remaining translations and various surviving scriptures were all that was left for Buddhism to survive on in Tibet. Butön Rinchen Drub’s contribution by compiling these translations was therefore a most monumental one which helped to preserve and propagate the teachings throughout Tibet. In addition to this, Butön Rinchen Drub also composed 26 prolific volumes of commentaries in the course of his life.

His Kangyur and Tangyur collections have become well-known by all the schools of Buddhism in Tibet, and continue to serve as an excellent reference for the vast breadth of Lord Buddha’s teachings. Along with his many accomplished disciples, this is the amazing legacy Butön Rinchen Drub left behind when he passed into clear light at his home in Zhalu Monastery.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:57:24 +0000

TULKU DRAKPA GYELTSEN
(1619 – 1656)

They had banned the search for his reincarnation to this day.

They had dismantled and destroyed his ladrang until not a trace of him remained.

They had even tried to “kill him off” many times over.

This most uncommon lama is none other than Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen.

Now, let us take a good look at the illustrious lineage that this Lama stemmed from, as sourced from – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulku_Drakpa_Gyaltsen

His short “incarnation lineage” includes:

Buton Rinchen Drub (1291-1364)
Panchen Sonam Drakpa (1478-1554)
Sonam Yeshe Wangpo (1556-92)
Sonam Gelek Palzang (1594-1615)
Tulku Dragka Gyaltsen (1619-56)

Here, it is important to highlight that Panchen Sonam Dragpa had been, among other things, a tutor to the 3rd Dalai Lama. Hence, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s incarnation lineage is anything but ordinary. The above lineage tree represents a line of highly attained Lamas or Enlightened Minds.

It was said that after Sonam Gelek Palzang passed away, a very unusual child of about 2 or 3 years of age started speaking and playing ritual instruments. It was also said that rainbows, lights and auspicious signs appeared around the house where this child lived.

At a very tender age, this child could remember his previous lives, recite prayers from memory, and remembered his gurus. It was said that whatever texts you gave this child, he would memorise them instantly. This amazing child was Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen.

By 9 years of age, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was writing commentaries and giving teachings.

By 18, he had already meditated in hundreds of caves, and his students said that he could see the yidams directly.

Whenever Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen went to meditate in a cave, people would often gather at the said cave in order to make offerings and receive blessings. The crowds became so overwhelming that Tulku Drakpa could not perform his meditations and had to move from one cave to another. Hence, he moved to hundreds of caves, because he was so sought after even though he was still very young.

It was a well-known fact that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was not interested in fame, or to be revered by people or have many students. In fact, he did not want to be worshipped or to become famous, or meet with sponsors etc. However it is due to his extraordinary scholarly knowledge and spiritual practice that people came from far and wide to meet him. Even, the Chinese emperor would send offerings to him and meet with him.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was born during the time when the Tibetan Government was looking for the incarnation of the 4th Dalai Lama. As he showed signs of a most high incarnate Lama when he was put under various tests, he was considered as possible candidate for the 5th Dalai Lama. However, there was another candidate, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, who was also identified as a possible incarnation of the 4th Dalai Lama. Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso eventually was chosen to become the 5th Dalai Lama. The Tibetan Government then recognised Tulku Drakpa as one of the Drakpa lineage and enthroned him as such.

Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was a contemporary of the 5th Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso. They were both of the same age and were students of the 4th Panchen Lama, Losang Chokyi Gyeltsen. They studied together, debated with one another and spent quite a lot of time together. They both resided in Drepung monastery. Tulku Drakpa lived in the “Upper House” and the 5th Dalai Lama lived in the “Lower House”. Their ladrangs were named as such due to the actual locations of their household.

At this time, the Potala Palace was not yet built and Tibet was going through a period of unrest. Hence, something was needed desperately to unite the country, the people and strengthen the power of a central government. He was the first Dalai Lama to wield effective political power over central Tibet, and is frequently referred to as the “Great Fifth Dalai Lama”.

This installation of power took place at a politically vulnerable time in Tibet. As such, all perceived threats were considered serious potential threats to the Dalai Lama and they had to be removed immediately.

As Tulku Drakpa’s fame grew, it eclipsed the Dalai Lama’s. Tulku Drakpa was often considered to be more popular because he received more sponsorships and had more students than the 5th Dalai Lama. Many people and royalty from all over Tibet, Mongolia and China would come to pay their respects to Tulku Drakpa, and request teachings from him.

As both Tulku Drakpa and the 5th Dalai Lama both resided in Drepung, the attention Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was receiving was very obvious to the Dalai Lama’s household. It began to cause a lot of jealousy and tension among the attendants of the 5th Dalai Lama. One in particular was Sonam Rabten / Sonam Chopel. He was the regent during the 5th Dalai Lama’s time and became very concerned about his master’s position in Tibet as he was very devoted to the 5th Dalai Lama. Hence, he believed that something had to be done. This led him to plot the murder of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen without the Dalai Lama’s knowledge.

Sonam Rabten/Sonam Chopel and his protégé, Norbu, tried to kill Tulku Drakpa many times without any success. They tried to poison him and stab him but all attempts were unsuccessful. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen simply did not have the karma to be killed.
When they tried to poision Tulku Drakpa, the poison would be dispelled from his body because his attainments would not allow the poison to affect his body. When they tried to stab him, eyes appeared in the places where they have stabbed him and these eyes would stare back at them.

Finally, it was Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen who told his assailants how he could be killed. He revealed to them that he could only be killed by stuffing a khatak down his throat. In this manner, Tulku Drakpa was murdered.

Tulku Drakpa revealed the method to his death because he wanted to fulfil his earlier promise to Nechung to arise as an “Uncommon Protector”.

After his death, Sonam Rabten/Sonam Chopel and Norbu made sure that every trace of this esteemed Lama was removed and future traces of him would never be found. They eradicated Tulku Drakpa’s achievements, “doctored” official documents containing his past incarnations and removed them from his lineage prayer.

Sonam Rabten/Sonam Chopel and Norbu further ordered the assassination of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s family members and seized their properties and lands. To ensure that there would not be a future search for his reincarnation, they banned the search and dismantled his ladrang at Drepung. Even his holy relics were thrown into the river. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s existence has been largely ignored in Tibetan history until today.

After his death, the Lama, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen arose as Dorje Shugden, The Protector. It was a choice he made. It was a sacrifice he was willing to fulfil and uphold in order to become the Protector of Our Time.

This Enlightened Mind cannot be silenced.

Sources:

An Introduction to Dorje Shugden

Detailed Lineage

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:43:08 +0000

Previous Incarnations of Dorje Shugden

The highly realized Master Tagpo Kelsang Khädrub Rinpoche composed the following two verses concerning Dorje Shugden:

With deep faith I prostrate to you, Vajradhara Dorje Shugden. Although you have already attained the Buddha ground and engaged in the twenty-seven deeds of a Buddha, You appear in various forms to help the Buddhadharma and sentient beings.

You have manifested in different aspects as Indian and Tibetan Masters, Such as Manjushri, Mahasiddha Biwawa, Sakya Pandita, Butön Rinchen Drub, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän, Panchen Sönam Dragpa, and many others.

The meaning of the first verse is quite clear. The twenty-seven deeds of a Buddha are explained in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and in the eighth chapter of Maitreya’s Ornament for Clear Realizations. These twenty-seven deeds range from showing sentient beings the way to enter the spiritual path to liberation up to guiding them to the final attainment of Buddhahood. Since Dorje Shugden performs all these twenty-seven deeds it is clear that he is a Buddha.

To guide living beings along the spiritual path, Dorje Shugden manifests many different aspects. Sometimes he appears in a peaceful aspect, sometimes in a wrathful aspect, sometimes as an ordained person, sometimes as a lay person, sometimes as a Bodhisattva, sometimes as a Hinayanist, sometimes as a non-Buddhist, and sometimes even as a non-human.

Since there are so many different emanations of the Buddhas it is difficult to tell who is an emanation and who is not. The only person we can be certain about is ourselves; we know whether we are a sentient being or a Buddha, but we do not know about others.

Each Buddha has the ability to manifest as many emanations as there are living beings. This ability is necessary because if Buddhas remained in only one form, without any emanations, they would not be able to help all living beings according to their different needs.

Thus, if we refuse to believe that a Buddha can have many different emanations, we are indirectly holding the wrong view of denying that Buddhas can help all living beings. In the Meeting of Father and Son Sutra Buddha Shakyamuni says:

Buddhas manifest in many different aspects such as Brahma, Indra, and sometimes even as a mara or in the aspect of an evil person, but worldly people do not recognize these emanations.

Buddhas can emanate even as inanimate objects. At one time the great Indian Master, Phadampa Sangye, journeyed to Tibet. When Milarepa heard of this great Yogi’s visit he decided to test his realizations. He went to the border and waited for Phadampa Sangye to arrive.

When he saw him approaching he transformed himself into a flower to see whether Phadampa Sangye had the clairvoyance to see through his disguise. Phadampa Sangye, however, walked straight past Milarepa, seemingly unaware of his presence.

Milarepa thought to himself, “This so-called Yogi has no clairvoyance”, whereupon Phadampa Sangye turned round and kicked the flower. “Get up Milarepa!” he said, and Milarepa, delighted to discover that Phadampa Sangye was a genuinely realized being, sprang up in his usual form to greet him.

As Tagpo Kelsang Khädrub Rinpoche said, Dorje Shugden has manifested in many different forms to help living beings. There now follows a brief account of each of the past incarnations of Dorje Shugden mentioned in the verse quoted above.

Manjushri

At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, Dorje Shugden appeared as the Bodhisattva Manjushri, one of Buddha’s principal disciples. In reality Manjushri had already achieved full Enlightenment in a previous age, long before the time of Buddha Shakyamuni.

In the Sutra Revealing the Abode of Manjushri, Buddha explains that in the remote past Manjushri had completed the Bodhisattva path and attained Enlightenment in his Pure Land as a Buddha called Tathagata Lamp of the Nagas. In the same Sutra, Buddha also describes the many different Buddha Lands of Manjushri and how Manjushri manifests countless emanations to help sentient beings.

Although Manjushri showed the aspect of being a disciple of Buddha, he had great power to help sentient beings. Sometimes people would come to Buddha for help and advice but Buddha would refer them to Manjushri because they had a stronger karmic link with him. Some had such a strong connection with Manjushri that through his blessings and skill they were able to develop very powerful realizations with almost no effort on their part.

One such person was King Ajatashatru, who had committed two particularly negative actions, killing his father and raping a fully-ordained nun who was also a Superior being. The consequences of such actions are horrendous. In the Vinaya Sutras, such actions are called “actions of immediate retribution” because whoever commits them will definitely take rebirth in a hell realm immediately after his or her death.

According to the Vinaya Sutras it is impossible to prevent such a rebirth, although it may be possible to shorten its duration. According to the Mahayana Sutras, however, these heavy negative actions can be purified if the correct opponents are applied purely.

King Ajatashatru developed strong remorse for his negative actions and requested Buddha to give him a special method for purifying them. Buddha taught the Sutra for Eliminating Ajatashatru’s Regret and then suggested that the king seek the help of Bodhisattva Manjushri.

Immediately upon hearing this advice, Ajatashatru developed strong faith in Manjushri. He invited Manjushri to his house for a banquet and after the meal he rose to offer Manjushri a very expensive cloak, but just as he was presenting the garment Manjushri disappeared. The king was left wondering, “Who is Manjushri? Where is Manjushri?”

By thinking in this way he realized that he could not find a real, truly existent Manjushri, and he came very close to understanding emptiness. Since Manjushri had disappeared, the king decided to try the cloak on himself, but as he put it round his shoulders he started asking the same questions about himself, “Who am I? Where am I? Who is the king? Where is the king?”

Being completely unable to find a real, truly existent self or truly existent king, he achieved an understanding of emptiness. He then entered into meditation and quickly attained a direct realization of emptiness, becoming a Superior being on the path of seeing.

According to the Hinayana teachings, a person who has committed one of the five actions of immediate retribution cannot become a Superior being in that same life, but the Mahayana viewpoint is different. As a result of Manjushri’s blessings, King Ajatashatru was able to purify his heavy negative karma and achieve the path of seeing. Manjushri performed many other special actions such as this.

Mahasidda Biwawa

Later, to help the Buddhadharma flourish, Manjushri took rebirth as the Mahasiddha Biwawa. Biwawa was born in India, to the east of Bodh Gaya, and joined Nalanda Monastery at a young age.

Although he was an emanation of Manjushri and therefore a fully enlightened being, Biwawa studied and practised Buddha’s teachings at Nalanda so as to demonstrate a perfect example of how to practise the path to liberation and enlightenment.

During the day he studied and meditated on the Sutra teachings and during the night he practised the yogas of Heruka Tantra. As a result of his pure practice he was able to see Vajrayogini and her retinue directly. Whenever he made tsog offerings, Vajrayogini together with fifteen other Dakinis with whom he had a particularly strong karmic connection would come to his room to participate in the feast.

Unfortunately, the other monks at Nalanda did not recognize Vajrayogini and the Dakinis but saw them as ordinary women. Believing that he was breaking his ordination vows, they became very critical of him and nicknamed him “Biwawa”, which means “bad man”. Thinking that Biwawa’s behaviour gave the monastery a bad reputation, they asked him to leave.

Although Biwawa had never broken any of his Vinaya vows, he agreed to leave Nalanda saying, “Yes, I am a bad man, I will leave.” He handed back his robes, changed into lay clothes, and left the monastery. Then, just like a poor, homeless beggar, he began wandering from place to place.

He first went to an area near Varanasi and lived in a cave deep in the forest. The land belonged to a non-Buddhist king who had an intense hatred of Buddhists. One day the king met Biwawa and invited him back to the palace, but when he learnt that Biwawa was a Buddhist he ordered his servants to kill him.

The servants first tried drowning Biwawa, but they were unable to pick him up to throw him into the river. They then tried to bury him alive, but he reappeared the next day unharmed. Finally they tried to burn him to death, but again he emerged unharmed.

When the king saw that Biwawa was able to protect himself through his miracle powers he developed strong faith in him and in the Buddhadharma, and he and all his subjects became Buddhist practitioners and disciples of Biwawa. This fulfilled a prediction made by an astrologer at the time of Biwawa’s birth that Biwawa would become very powerful and, through demonstrating miracle powers, would cause many people to enter the Buddhadharma.

Sometime later, Biwawa travelled south to the River Ganges. When he arrived at the river he asked a ferryman to take him across, but the ferryman refused because Biwawa had no money with which to pay him. Biwawa declared, “Since this river flows continuously, perhaps it is tired and would like a rest” and, causing the waters to part, he walked across to the other side.

The ferryman was astounded and asked Biwawa who he was. Biwawa told him a little of his life story, whereupon the ferryman developed great faith and asked to become one of his disciples. Biwawa accepted him as a disciple and gave him many teachings. The ferryman practised diligently and eventually became a highly realized Yogi called Drombi Heruka, one of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas.

Continuing on his travels, Biwawa reached a town where he stopped at the local tavern. After he had consumed several drinks the landlady asked him to pay, but Biwawa replied that he had no money. The landlady became angry and threatened him, “You have until sunset to pay me, otherwise I will call the authorities and have you thrown into jail!”

Biwawa promptly used his miracle powers to stop the sun moving and held it motionless for three whole days. The local people were aghast and wondered how such a thing could happen. Finally they asked the king to help them.

When the king asked Biwawa what was happening Biwawa replied that he was responsible for the sun not setting. “If I allow the sun to set,” he explained, “I shall have to go jail.” The king then reassured Biwawa that if he allowed the sun to set he would not have to pay for his drinks or go to jail. Upon hearing of his reprieve, Biwawa was delighted and immediately allowed the sun to continue its journey across the sky!

As a result of Biwawa’s extraordinary deeds, many people developed faith in him and in the Buddhadharma. In this way he led many people into the spiritual path. When the monks at Nalanda heard of his activities they developed great regret at having expelled him and requested him to return to the monastery, but Biwawa declined their invitation.

Sakya Pandita

Biwawa later took rebirth in western Tibet as the great Lama of the Sakya Tradition, Sachen Kunga Gyaltsän, more usually known as Sakya Pandita. Even ordinary beings recognized that he was a very special being.

When he was a young child the first language he spoke was not Tibetan but Sanskrit, even though he had never been taught it. He was able to memorize texts even during his dreams. For example, he once dreamed that the great Indian Pandit Vasubandhu was giving him teachings on his text Treasury of Phenomenology, and when he awoke he had memorized the entire text, which is almost fifty pages long.

Following his Guru, Jetsün Dragpa Gyaltsän, Sakya Pandita studied and practised both Sutra and Tantra and became a great scholar and meditator who was famous for his wisdom and miracle powers.

Sakya Pandita’s name spread far and wide, reaching even the Chinese Emperor. The Emperor took a keen interest in Sakya Pandita and invited him to China so that he could meet him in person. He decided to use the visit as an opportunity to check whether or not Sakya Pandita was actually enlightened.

He summoned a highly qualified magician and told him to emanate a beautiful palace together with servants, magnificent ornaments, and decorations. Such magicians were very different from those we have nowadays in the West.

Through a combination of their concentration, mantra recitation, and special substances, they could emanate houses, or even whole cities, for days or months. Unfortunately they did not have the powers to maintain their magical creations indefinitely, and after a while the emanations would disappear.

For the duration of their existence however, their emanations seemed to be real, and people would live in them without ever suspecting that they were magically created illusions. The Emperor thought that if Sakya Pandita really was enlightened he would not be fooled by such an emanated palace, but if he was just an ordinary person he would probably think that it was real.

When Sakya Pandita arrived in China, the Emperor took him to the emanated palace and asked him what he thought of it, and Sakya Pandita replied that it was very beautiful. “Do you think this is a real palace?” enquired the Emperor, “Yes”, replied Sakya Pandita, “Of course it is real.”

From this reply the Emperor concluded that Sakya Pandita was not actually a Buddha but just an ordinary being who was deceiving the people of Tibet and China. The Emperor then commanded the magician to re-absorb his emanation, but when he tried to do so he found that he could not. Unbeknown to the Emperor and the magician, Sakya Pandita had used his own miracle powers to transform the emanated palace into a real one!

When he discovered this, the Emperor was filled with remorse for having had such negative thoughts about Sakya Pandita. He immediately developed strong faith in him and became one of his disciples. It is said that the palace still exists today as a temple known as “The Emanation Temple”.

Buton Rinchen Drub

Sakya Pandita later took rebirth as Butön Rinchen Drub. He was born in western Tibet near the place where Tashilhunpo Monastery now stands, and was ordained as a monk at an early age.

Even while he was a young child his parents realized that he was a very special being. The child would often converse with Manjushri as naturally as he would talk with other people, and it was clear from his speech and his actions that he had already attained great compassion and bodhicitta.

Although Butön did not put much effort into learning Sanskrit he was able to understand it with great ease. He translated Sanskrit texts not previously translated into Tibetan and he corrected many earlier translations. He became a very great and famous Lama, a learned scholar who was wise in both Sutra and Tantra, and he wrote twenty-six volumes of extensive commentaries on subjects from the Kangyur and the Tängyur.

Butön’s works are so vast that it is difficult for ordinary people to see them as a whole and determine their essential meaning, but they can be clearly understood by following Je Tsongkhapa’s elucidations.

Butön’s works and Je Tsongkhapa’s works are very closely related. It is said that if you want to know many different things you should read Butön’s books, and if you want to come to definite conclusions you should read the works of Je Tsongkhapa.

Butön mainly emphasized the need to practise Buddhadharma purely. He demonstrated fewer miracle powers than previous incarnations, spending most of his time teaching and writing.

At the time of Manjushri and Mahasiddha Biwawa, people generally had more merit and much purer minds, and so displays of miracle powers were often very powerful and effective in causing them to develop faith and other realizations.

As times became more degenerate however, people had less merit and their minds were less pure. For them, displays of miracle powers tended to be counter-productive, giving rise to doubts, scepticism, jealousy, and other negative minds, rather than pure minds such as faith. People would even suspect those who displayed miracle powers of using them for selfish or political ends, and those who had dark inner secrets would be fearful of their being exposed.

In such situations, those who displayed miracle powers would sometimes find themselves in danger of their lives. Moreover, there would be a danger that they would attract only disciples who craved miracle powers for themselves.

It was for these reasons that Je Tsongkhapa later forbade his disciples to display their miracle powers. The later incarnations of Manjushri, therefore, placed less and less emphasis on miracle powers, choosing instead to help sentient beings by setting a perfect example and giving clear and precise instructions on the path to enlightenment.

Thus, realized beings such as Sakya Pandita and Butön Rinchen Drub showed practitioners how to meditate correctly and how to gain experience of the stages of the path, leading them to profound realizations of concentration and wisdom. In this way they tamed the deluded minds of their disciples and led them out of suffering and into pure happiness.

Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsan

Butön Rinchen Drub was later reborn in central Tibet as Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän, who became one of Je Tsongkhapa’s principal disciples. Like Je Tsongkhapa he was a very pure practitioner of the Vinaya and so he was called “Duldzin”, which is short for “dulwa dzinpa”, or “Holder of the Vinaya”.

Although Duldzin showed the aspect of being a disciple of Je Tsongkhapa, he was in fact an emanation of Manjushri. Thus both Teacher and disciple were emanations of Manjushri. From the point of view of ordinary beings this may seem a contradiction, but in reality it is not.

When he was teaching the Sutras and Tantras, Buddha would sometimes manifest as both the Teacher and the principal interlocutors who helped the discourse to evolve. In one of the Tantras Buddha Vajradhara said, “I am the Teacher and I am the disciple. I am the speaker and I am the listener.”

There are Tantras that were requested by Vajrapani who was an emanation of Vajradhara, and often among the audience there were many other emanations. Since Manjushri is a Buddha, he can also manifest countless emanations simultaneously, and so it is not impossible that both Je Tsongkhapa and Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän were his emanations.

Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän’s main activity was to help the teachings of Je Tsongkhapa to flourish. He worked to remove obstacles and to gather favourable conditions for the dissemination of these precious teachings. It was Je Tsongkhapa’s wish that the special Dharma derived from Manjushri’s wisdom should spread far and wide and Duldzin, as his devoted disciple, worked tirelessly to fulfil his Guru’s wish.

Je Tsongkhapa travelled extensively in response to invitations to give teachings, and also engaged in profound retreats for the purposes of writing and meditating, and while he was away he would leave Duldzin in charge of his affairs. It was Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän for example who organized the building of Ganden Monastery.

Rather than demonstrating miracle powers, Duldzin demonstrated how to practise pure Dharma by relying sincerely upon his Spiritual Guide, maintaining pure moral discipline, and so forth. Like Je Tsongkhapa he showed that there is no contradiction between the external practices of Vinaya, the internal practices of the Bodhisattva path, and the secret practices of the generation and completion stages of Highest Yoga Tantra.

Je Tsongkhapa’s disciples believed that Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän and Je Tsongkhapa were equal in terms of their realizations, abilities, and wisdom. When Je Tsongkhapa passed away, his throne was offered first to Duldzin, but Duldzin declined the honour and offered it instead to Gyaltsabje saying, “You should become the second holder of the Ganden throne. You should teach the Dharma of Je Tsongkhapa and spread it far and wide. I will help your work to be successful by eliminating obstacles and arranging the right conditions.”

Panchen Sonam Dragpa

Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän was later reborn in central Tibet and became a special Lama known as Panchen Sönam Dragpa. Like Duldzin, he worked to remove obstacles to the flourishing of Je Tsongkhapa’s tradition and to gather conducive conditions.

This Lama was unique in that, at different times in his life, he became the Abbot of Gyutö Tantric College, Gaden Monastery, Drepung Monastery, and Sera Monastery, and while he was Abbot of Gaden Monastery he also became the fifteenth holder of Je Tsongkhapa’s throne.

In those days, the Abbots were elected by the resident monks, and the high esteem in which Panchen Sönam Dragpa was held was demonstrated by his having been appointed Abbot of all four principal monasteries. He is the only person ever to have received this honour.

Panchen Sönam Dragpa wrote many commentaries to both Sutra and Tantra. To this day at Drepung Loseling, the largest Gelugpa monastery, as well as at Gaden Shartse, monks qualify for their Geshe degrees by relying principally upon the works of this great Teacher. He is also highly regarded at other monasteries, such as Sera.

Throughout his life Panchen Sönam Dragpa worked to further Je Tsongkhapa’s doctrine. When he became holder of Je Tsongkhapa’s throne he composed the following prayer: “So that the tradition of Je Tsongkhapa, The King of the Dharma, may flourish, May all obstacles be pacified and may all favourable conditions abound.”

Some time later when he attended the Mönlam Chenmo, or Great Prayer Festival, founded by Je Tsongkhapa, he composed a special verse of dedication: “Through the two collections of myself and others Gathered throughout the three times, May the doctrine of Conqueror Losang Dragpa Flourish for evermore.”

These prayers, which are recited every day after teachings and pujas at all Gelugpa monasteries and Dharma centres, indicate that Panchen Sönam Dragpa’s activities were the same as Dorje Shugden’s working to cause Je Tsongkhapa’s doctrine to flourish.

Later in life, Panchen Sönam Dragpa became the Spiritual Guide of the reincarnation of the first Dalai Lama, Je Gendundrub, granting him ordination and giving him the name Sönam Gyatso. It was Sönam Gyatso who visited Mongolia and so impressed the ruler, Altan Khan, that both he and his subjects were converted to Buddhism.

The Khan gave him the title “Dalai Lama”, which in Mongolian means “Ocean Lama”. Although he was the first to be so called, he became known as the third Dalai Lama, his two previous incarnations, Je Gendundrub and Je Gendun Gyatso, acquiring posthumously the titles of first and second Dalai Lama.

When Panchen Sönam Dragpa died, he remained in single-pointed concentration on the clear light of death for fifteen days. His body then diminished to the size of a forearm and from this body many statues and relics appeared. From his manner of dying we can understand clearly that he had attained the illusory body and was truly an enlightened being.

Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsan

Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän was the reincarnation of Panchen Sönam Dragpa. He lived at Drepung Monastery at the same time as the fifth Dalai Lama, and both these Lamas were disciples of the first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän.

There is a further connection between these two because Panchen Sönam Dragpa had been the main Guru of the third Dalai Lama, and the fifth Dalai Lama was in the same mental continuum as the third Dalai Lama. Both Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän and the fifth Dalai Lama were highly respected and considered to be very pure and precious Teachers.

Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän studied both Sutra and Tantra, mainly under the first Panchen Lama, and became a great scholar and meditator. He went to over a hundred caves to meditate and received many direct visions of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Deities. He made a number of predictions, including one that he would become Dorje Shugden. Ngatrul Dragpa Gyaltsän died at a relatively young age.

Source: Tharpa Publications / Wisdom Buddha Dorje Shugden website, 2008
http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org/lineage.php#dorjeshugden05

Lineage

admin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:31:13 +0000

With deep faith I prostrate to you, Vajradhara Dorje Shugden.
Although you have already attained the Buddha-ground
and engage in the twenty-seven deeds of a Buddha,
you appear in various forms to help the Buddhadharma and sentient beings.
You have manifested in different aspects as Indian and Tibetan Masters,
such as Manjushri, Mahasiddha Biwawa, Sakya Pandita, Butön Rinchen Drub, Duldzin Dragpa Gyaltsän, Panchen Sönam Dragpa, and many others.
(Tagpo Rinpoche)

Dorje Shugden practice has a long history, but since Tagpo Rinpoche, Kyabje Pabongkha Dorje Chang’s Guru, has planted it firmly into Tibet’s spiritual soil, this enlightened Protector’s inner and outer guidance has become very precious to an estimated four million people in Tibet, Mongolia, Siberia, China, India, Bhutan, Taiwan and increasingly in the west.

Mahasiddha Biwawa studied at Nalanda, the great Buddhist university near Bodhgaya . At night he practiced Heruka’s Tantra and Vajrayogini herself would come to partake of his tsog offerings, surrounded by dakinis. Which led his fellow monks to believe that he was having wild parties in his room. They called him Biwawa, bad man, and expelled him.

As a traveling Yogi he showed his powers at various occasions in order to bring people to religion. He could stop the Ganges river, he could stop the sun in the sky.

A king who hated Buddhists tried to have him drowned, buried alive and finally burned – to no avail (interesting how history has a tendency to repeat itself…this has recently been ritually done to Dorje Shugden, with the same result…). That king was so amazed that he and all his people became Mahasiddha Biwawa’s disciples.

Sakya Pandita was the next form assumed in this lineage. He still showed miracle powers if needed and useful, for example to turn the emperor of China ’s mind to Dharma. But he would become renowned just as much for his mastery of both Sutra and Tantra, study and meditation.

Buton Rinchen Drub was very compassionate even as a small child and could speak to Manjushri as if to another person. Yet he would emphasize even more than his predecessor the importance of the purity of one’s practice, relying on virtue and clarity, not miracles, because people tended to become less innocent and more self-centered.

Buton Rinchen Drub was a great master of the Kalacakra Tantra. The sadhana composed by him is still in use today and recommended by His Holiness. He teachings were an important influence on Je Tsongkhapa.

The trend of emphasizing humility and keeping one’s samaya commitments pure continued with Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen (Duldzin literally means ‘holder of vows’). He was very close to Je Tsongkhapa and his first Gelugpa disciple, with Khedrupje and Gyaltsapje coming from the Sakya tradition.

Although both master and student were Manjushri-emanations, they worked in their relative aspects to show an example of humble practice. In this way they helped Lord Manjushri’s instructions, which Tsongkhapa received through direct communion, to reach many people.

Duldzin Drakpa did everything to help in creating good conditions for these teachings to spread. It was him who undertook the building of Gaden Monastery. He also built his own temple for Kunrik practice near Gaden and took care of the Monastery when Lama Tsongkhapa was away. After Je Lama’s passing he was offered the Gaden throne but preferred to remain in the background to clear obstacles and prepare the way for the flow of Dharma.

His main practices were Guhyasamaja, Kunrik and Yamantaka; his main Protector was Kalarupa.

Panchen Sonam Drakpa was the only Lama ever to be abbot of all three great Gelug Monasteries in one life. In addition he held the position of the fifteenth Gaden Tripa. His written works are greatly important teaching material to this day. A book with a collection of his works has just been published in English.

He reinvigorated and renewed the tradition of debate, the powerful tool to develop piercing clarity of mind. Some of his prayers are still being recited daily by thousands of monks, like this one:

So that the tradition of Je Tsongkhapa
the king of the Dharma, may flourish
may all obstacles be pacified
and may all favourable conditions abound

These four lines are a wonderfully concise description of the blessed works of a Dharma Protector, and whether we know it or not, it is extremely unlikely for most of us to meet, much less practice Dharma if not for these Protectors’ unconditional compassion and miraculous help, because the degree of our self-obsession and materialism is overpowering our perception to the extent of total spiritual blindness.

Panchen Sonam Drakpa’s main practices were Chakrasamvara/Vajrayogini and Yamantaka. His main Protector was the 4-armed Mahakala.

He took rebirth as Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen who lived at the same time as the fifth Dalai Lama. They both were students of Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, the first Panchen Lama. He went for many meditation retreats in caves where in one of his holy visions he was shown that he would later manifest as Dorje Shugden.

He was a famous teacher with many followers from Tibet and outer Mongolia, and abbot of Drepung Osel Ling and Ngakpa Trasang, the tantric school of Drepung . His Yidams and Protector were Chakrasamvara/Vajrayogini and Yamantaka and the 4-armed Mahakala and Setrap Chen. He and the Great Fifth were considered equally eminent Lamas.

It is said that one day Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen defeated the Dalai Lama in debate and the latter’s attendants grew so jealous that they later arranged for Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen to be strangled with a Khata. However, this is just the outer appearance.

The Emergence of Dharmapala Dorje Shugden

While Je Tsongkhapa was giving a Dharma discourse, Nechung appeared to Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen in the form of a white dove, urging him to manifest as a protector of Je Tsongkhapa’s teachings who are so sublime and precious that a special protector is needed to guard and further them in this world.

Nechung repeated his request to Duldzin Drakpa Gyaltsen’s subsequent incarnations and during the time of Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen approached again, asking him if he remembered his promise. Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen replied that since there was no anger in his mindstream, how could he manifest the wrathful energy of a Dharma protector?

Thus the event of strangulation was displayed with bodhicitta motivation, enabling the enlightened being Tulku Drakpa Gyaltsen to manifest wrath at the moment of death and to emerge in this way as the transcendent supramundane Dharmapala Gyalchen Dorje Shugden. Since killing a bodhisattva is nonetheless a very grave event, the elements reacted violently, and various strange occurrences took place for some time.

Dorje Shugden has played a major role in bringing the Buddhadharma from Tibet into the world, as we will see, and will continue so on a global scale.

Pabongka Dechen Nyingpo’s View on Nature and Origin of Gyalchen Dorje Shugden

Some see this supreme deity, Emanated Gyalchen, as not different from an ordinary monk spirit or king spirit, a priest or monk who has died and taken a spirit body out of negative karma, and proclaiming this in a loud voice, make fun of not only the deity but of others who rely on him also; there seem to be many as well as a great many who, following their lead, hold very tightly to this mistaken view. They are speaking just out of supposition without really understanding the source.

This very dharma protecting ‘gyelpo’ is reknowned as the unmistaken emanation of Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen and Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen was the unmistaken succeding incarnation of Panchen Sônam Dragpa and Je Dültzin (Lord of Vinaya Holders) Dragpa Gyaltsen.

Thus, those great beings were great elder holders of the vinaya who did not transgress even the slightest rule of the Buddha and were great beings who cherished others more than themselves. They were great lords of masters who reigned over the ocean-like treatises of sutra and tantra as well as the ordinary sciences.

That they were great lords of siddhas who perfected the supreme realization of tantra’s two stages is well proven and known to all. For that very being to arise in the body of a wrathful deity is the mere display of a form for a very special purpose through the power of compassion and prayers and for him, rather, to have taken birth, like other ordinary beings, out of evil karma as a sky-walking preta; how would that be possible?

If one says that he was born like that then it would follow that one meets with karma uncommitted by oneself or that deeds done are wasted, etc., so one would be expounding falsity of the law of causality, etc., which would be the worst kind of nihilistic view.

Furthermore, Lord Dültzin Dragpa Gyaltsen was fully established to be the emanation of the omniscient Bütön and Lord Bütön was fully reknowned beyond dispute, based on many valid scriptural and biographical source books, as the succeeding incarnation of the lineage including Manjusri, the mahasiddha Birwapa, and Sakya Pandita.

Therefore, to think that the succeeding incarnation of those great pandits and siddhas, who were as reknowned throughout India and Tibet as the sun and the moon, could take birth in the low evil body of an actual preta and to propound such is a misconception slandering those great beings and the cause of an unbearable unfortunate rebirth. So everyone should be careful in such matters.

Furthermore, the story of how Nechung, the Emanated Dharma King, Great Dorje Dragden, again and again urged Panchen Sônam Dragpa to arise in the form of a protector uncommon to the Gelugpa by not abandoning his promise and mind generation of previous incarnations is in his biography.

Again, it is suitable to worship because, as is said in many valid sutras and commentaries, even animals who are emanations of the Tathagatas such as ‘Ru Ru’, the golden stag, are a supreme field of worship; this is similar.

Thus, this very great Dharmapala is established without doubt to be peaceful and wrathful Manjusri himself arisen in the form of a terrifying wrathful one (dregpa) in order to protect one’s teachings. Therefore, wherever there is stainless teaching and practice of the Geden he guards and protects without dependence upon his being relied upon or worshipped.